Beijing, Feb. 8 (TNS): Daimler has issued a second emphatic apology to China after its subsidiary, Mercedes Benz, quoted the Dalai Lama in an Instagram post, Chinese media reported here on Thursday.
It initially apologised on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, on Tuesday over the post.
China sees the Tibetan spiritual leader of the autonomous region as a separatist threat.
The advert showed a car with the words: “Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.”
Instagram is blocked in China, but the post was reposted by Chinese internet users, causing a commotion.
The official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, said the German carmaker had written to China’s ambassador to Germany expressing a sincere apology.
According to Xinhua, the letter said Daimler had no intention of questioning Beijing’s sovereignty over Tibet and would offer “no support, assistance, aid or help to anyone who intentionally subverts or attempts to subvert China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
“Daimler deeply regrets the hurt and grief that its negligent and insensitive mistake has caused to the Chinese people. Daimler fully and unreservedly recognises the seriousness of the situation, which the company has caused and sincerely apologises for,” the letter apparently read.
